Tampon applicator



y 1, 1963 e. BRECHT 3,090,385

TAMPON APPLICATOR Filed Dec. 5, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTO RNEYUnited This invention relates to catamenial devices and moreparticularly to applicators of improved construction and of reducedlength for use in connection with tampons.

One form of applicator for tampons which has received wide acceptanceincludes a pair of telescoped tubes of cardboard or similar materialwith the inner tube longitudinally movable within the outer tube. Theapplicator and a tampon of compressed absorbent fibrous material arepre-assembled as a unit to provide a complete article ready for use. Thetampon is positioned within one end portion of the outer tube and theinner tube telescopically positioned in the other end with a majorportion of its length extending beyond the end of the outer tube. Toeject the tampon, the inner tube, which acts as a plunger, is movedlongitudinally in the outer tube in the direction of the tampon.

Such tampon applicators, while acceptable and satisfactory in operation,are considerably longer than the tampon with which they are used. Forexample, a typical tampon applicator of the above type has an outer andinner tube, each about three inches long, while the tampon is about twoinches long. Therefore, the tampon occupies a major portion of the outertube within which it is positioned, e.g., more than one half the tubeslength, and the telescoped inner tube extends for more than one half itslength beyond the end of the outer tube, thereby making the over-alllength of the assembled tampon and applicator more than one and one halftimes the length of either tube and about two and one half times thelength of the tampon.

It is customary to package a number of such assembled applicators andtampons individually and then package a number of them together, e.g.ten, to provide a suflicient number of tampons tor a single menstrualperiod. Consequently, the packages are necessarily quite large incomparison to the size of the tampons which are to be ultimately used.By reducing the overall length of assembled applicators and tampons, thesize of the packages used to contain them may also be reduced, andsubstantial savings in costs of packaging, of packaging materials and ofstorage can be efiected.

It would be also desirable to reduce the overall length of assembledapplicators and tampons because it is customary for one or more of suchassembled units to be carried on the person, as, for example, in a purseduring the menstrual period. A package of smaller size would not only bemore aesthetic and less noticeable, but would also permit a greaternumber to be carried.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a tamponapplicator of reduced size which may be furnished assembled with atampon to provide an article ready for use. The over-all length of theassembled applicator and tampon is approximately the length of the outertube with the end of the inner tube extending just beyond the end of theouter tube to provide a fingergripping portion. The applicator iseconomical to con struct and package and is simple and efficient inoperation.

A tampon applicator which provides such advantages includes an outertube and a tampon-ejecting plunger of substantially the same length asthe outer tube positioned within the outer tube and longitudinallymovable therein. The plunger may have one or more arms, portions ofatent O which are adapted to be positioned between a tampon contained inan end portion of the outer tube and the inner wall of the outer tube.The plunger is longitudinally retractable from within the outer tube, atwhich time the arm portion is withdrawn from between the tampon and theouter tube. After the end of the arm portion has cleared the inner endof the tampon, the arm portion may be moved to bring its end closer tothe center of the inner end of the tampon and then the plunger may bemoved longitudinally into the outer tube towards the tampon. In suchmovement, the end of the arm portion of the plunger engages the innerend of the tampon, causing the tampon to be ejected from the outer tube.

The invention further includes means :for causing the arm portion of theplunger to move away from the inner surface of the outer tube towardsits axis to insure positive engagement of the end of the arm with theinner end of the tampon. Other improvements include means for indicatingthat the plunger should not be withdrawn further from the outer tube toprevent inadvertent dissociation of the parts and also means forpreventing withdrawal of the tampon from the outer tube simultaneouslywith retraction of the plunger from within the outer tube.

Referring to the drawings, wherein various embodiments of the inventionare illustrated by way of example:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tampon applicator incorporating theinvention and containing a tampon, illustrating its over-all lengthprior to use;

FIG. 2 is a view of the applicator with the tamponejecting plungerwithdrawn from within the outer tube, illustrating its position prior tomoving it longitudinally into the outer tube to eject the tamponcontained in the opposite end;

FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1, partly in section;

FIG. 4 is a view of FIG. 3 taken along lines 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a view of FIG. 4 taken along lines 55;

FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 2, partly in section;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of FIG. 6, partly in section;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating complete ejection of the tampon from theapplicator;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the tampon-ejecting plunger of theembodiment of FIG. 9 withdrawn longitudinally from within the outertube;

FIG. 11 is a view of FIG. 9 taken along lines 1111;

FIG. 12 is a view of FIG. 10 taken along lines 12-12;

FIG. 13 is a view of FIG. 11 taken along lines 1313;

FIG. 14 is a left side view of FIG. 9;

FIG. 15 is a view of FIG. 13 taken along lines 15-l5; and

FIG. 16 is a view of FIG. 12 taken alon lines 1616.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 18, the tamponapplicator Iii includes an outer tube 12 open at both ends and having atone end an integral tab 14 extending slightly beyond the end of theouter tube. The tab, which may be bent or stepped downwardly slightlytowards the axis of the outer tube, has a slit 16 extending transverselyof the tube. The tamponejecting plunger 18 is in the form of anelongated, thin, rectangularshaped, relatively rigid strip having a hole20 adjacent one end and a spade-shaped enlarged portion 22 at the otherend. If desired, the plunger may be slightly arcuate i-n transversedsection approximating the arcuate configuration of the outer tube. Theouter tube and plunger are associated by passing the end of the plungerwith the hole into the end of the outer tube opposite the end providedwith the tab, then through the slit so that the plunger is inlongitudinal alignment with the outer tube with the portion of theplunger which 3 includes the enlarged end positioned in the interior ofthe outer tube and the end portion provided with the hole extendingthrough the slit andslightly beyond the end of the outer tube to form afinger-gripping part.

A tampon 24 is positioned in the end portion of the outer tube oppositethe end with the tab. The portion of the plunger with the enlarged endis located between the outer surface of the tampon and the inner surfaceof the-outer tube with the enlarged end of the plunger substantially atthe front end of the outer tube and the outer end of the tampon. Theplunger is slightly longer than the outer tube to provide thefinger-gripping portion which extends slightly beyond the end of theouter tube opposite the end containing the tampon and also to insurecomplete ejection of the tampon when the plunger is moved longitudinallywithin the outer tube. Therefore, substantially all of the plunger iswithin the outer tube when the parts are assembled.

The assembled applicator and tampon thus includes a plungersubstantially entirely within the outer tube with a portion positionedbetween the outer surface of the tampen and the outer tube and afinger-gripping portion extending beyond the end of the outer tube. Dueto the relatively snug fit between the tampon and the outer tube, theplunger is maintained securely in position. The tampon may be providedwith a withdrawal cord 26 secured to its inner end 28. The cord mayextend outwardly from the rear end of the outer tube and be looselythreaded through the hole in the finger-gripping portion of the plunger.If desired, the hole in the end of the plunger may be omitted and theend of the withdrawal cord extend from out the rear of the outer tube.

To operate the applicator to eject the tampon, the finger-grippingportion of the plunger is grasped and the plunger withdrawn rearw-ardlyfrom the outer tube through the slit. During such withdrawal, theportion of the plunger positioned between the tampon and the outer tubeis also withdrawn. When the end of the enlarged portion of the plungerhas cleared the inner end of the tampon, the plunger may be pivoted inthe slit by lifting the finger-gripping portion of the plunger to causethe opposite enlarged end to move radially with respect to the outertube in the direction of its longitudinal axis. Such pivoting locatesthe enlarged end of the plunger closer to the center of the inner end ofthe tampon and thus insures positive engagement of the end of theplunger with the inner end of the tampon during ejection. With theplunger so pivoted, the plunger is then moved longitudinally within theouter tube towards the tampon whereupon the end of the plunger engagesthe inner end of the tampon. The longitudinal movement of the plunger iscontinued until the tampon is ejected from within the outer tube.

Enlarging the end of the plunger which engages the tampon serves a dualpurpose; it provides an area of greater contact with the inner end ofthe tampon during ejecting movement of the plunger and thus insurespositive engagement therewith, and it also acts as a stop to preventcomplete withdrawal of the plunger from within the outer tube duringretracting movement of the plunger through the slit in the tab portionof the outer tube. The slit is made sufiiciently large to permitretraction of the plunger, but is sufficiently small to prevent theenlarged portion from passing through. If desired, however, a stop inthe form of an enlargement or the like may be provided intermediate theends of the plunger so positioned that it will engage the tab at itsslit just after the forward end of the plunger clears the inner end ofthe tampon. In this form, the forward end need not be enlarged.

Since the tampon usually fits snugly within the outer tube, and sincethe portion of the plunger with the enlarged end may be held fairlysecurely between the tampon and the inner surface of the outer tube,there may be a tendency for the tampon to remove rearwardly within theouter tube as the plunger is retracted. To prevent such movement, theinner surface of the outer tube substantially at a point just beyond theinner end of the tampon when it is positioned therein, may be providedwith a raised surface in the form of tab 30, formed by an incompletecut-out of the wall of the outer tube which is. pressed inwardly asillustrated, or in the form of one or more pressed or moldedinwardly-extending shoulders, or circumferential rings, or the like,formed on the inside of the outer tube, which will engage the inner endof the tampon to stop its rearward movement during retraction of theplunger.

The outer tube may be of any suitable form or material. It may be moldedof plastic or made from cardboard or similar materials. The plunger isdesirably molded or cut from a plastic material, such as polyethylene,although a stiffened cardboard, wire-reinforced cardboard, or the likematerial, may be suitably employed.

In FIGS. 10-17, there is illustrated a preferred form of the tamponapplicator 40 incorporating the invention which includes an outer tube42 having the general overall configuration of the outer tube in thepreviously-described embodiment, and a tampon-ejecting plunger 44 with apair of flexible arms 46, instead of the single arm in the embodimentdescribed above, which are adapted to fit opposite each other betweenthe outer surface of the tampon and the inner surface of the outer tube.The arms are joined at one end by a transverse member 48 which forms thefinger-gripping portion of the plunger, thus giving the plunger a Ushape or the appearance of a clothespin.

The forward end of the outer tube is open in the usua1 manner to receivea tampon 50 to be positioned therein. The opposite end, which is the endthrough which the finger-gripping portion of the plunger extends, isprovided with an opening 52 having the configuration of a transversesection of the plunger. The plunger and outer tube are associated bytelescopically positioning the plunger within the outer tube with thearms in between the inner surface of the outer tube and the outersurface of the tampon when it is positioned within the outer tube. Thetampon is thus held, to some extent, between the arms.

To elfectuate the desired inward movement of the arms of the plungertowards each other so that positive engagement of the ends of theplunger arms with the inner end of the tampon is attained during inwardlongitudinal movement of the plunger into the outer tube, the outside ofone or both of the arms are formed with a longitudinally-extendinggroove 54 which extends for part of the length of the arm from thefinger-gripping portion to past the midpoint of the length of the arms.The grooves taper in depth, sloping upwardly from the finger-grippingportion of the plunger towards the ends of the arms which engage thetampon.

The end of the outer tube which is provided with the opening 52 throughwhich the plunger extends has raised surfaces or shoulders 56 extendingradially of the outer tube and positioned to be fitted within thelongitudinallyextending grooves in the arms. These shoulders, incombination with the longitudinally-extending, tapered grooves in theplunger arms provide the means for causing the ends of the arms toconverge towards each other in direction radially of the outer tube asthe plunger is retracted from the outer tube. Due to the decrease indepth of the longitudinal grooves towards the ends of the arms of theplunger, as the plunger is retracted, the radially-extending shoulders0n the end of the outer tube urge the ends of the arms closer towardseach other in a cam-like action.

During the initial portion of the retraction of the plunger, the ends ofthe arms are still positioned between the inner surface 6f the outertube and the outer surface of the tampon. When the tips 58 of the armshave passed the inner end 60 of the tampon, the tips,

due to the co-operation between the shoulders on the end of the outertube and the tapered grooves, are urged towards the center of the innerend of the tampon, as illustrated in FIG. 12. At this point, the plungercan then be urged longitudinally into the outer tube whereupon the tipsengage the inner end of the tampon to cause the tampon to be ejected. Insuch longitudinal movement of the plunger, the arms may tend to turnoutwardly towards the outer tube. However, this tendency may beminimized by so arranging the taper in the grooves that the arms arebegun to be urged towards each other before the ends of the arms clearthe inner end of the tampon. Further, the tips are maintained inengagement with the inner end of the tampon because the tampon isusually made of fibrous material which holds the ends of the arms duringinward longitudinal movement of the plunger.

In one form, the grooves in the plunger arms may be of uniform depth fora substantial part of their length from the finger-gripping portion ofthe plunger towards the center of the arms. This arrangement reduces theconstricting and binding elfect exerted upon the tampon by the ends ofthe arms during initial retraction of the tampon as occurs when thegroove begins to taper at the end closest to the finger-gripping portionof the plunger. By making the grooves of uniform depth for the firstportion of their length, the ends of the arm positioned between thetampon will tend to slide out more easily since the radially-extendingshoulders in the outer tube will not urge the ends inwardly as they ridein the grooves during initial withdrawal of the plunger from the outertube. The grooves are made of uniform depth up to the point where, inthe withdrawal of the plunger, the ends of the arms have almost clearedthe inner end of the tampon. At this point, the grooves begin to taperupwardly to an abutting surface at the end adjacent the ends of thearms.

To prevent inadvertent dissociation of the plunger from the outer tubeduring retraction, the forward ends of the longitudinal grooves in theplunger arms are formed with right-angled or acute-angled surfaces 62and the forward ends 64 of the shoulders 56 which ride within thegrooves are similarly shaped so that, when the forward ends 64 of theshoulders abut upon the ends 62 of the grooves, stopping engagement isobtained.

To minimize the plunger being moved entirely longitudinally into theouter tube during inward movement, whereupon access to thefinger-gripping portion would be lost, the ends of the grooves at thefinger-gripping portion of the plunger may also be provided withabutting surfaces or shoulders 66 which engage the rear or outer ends 68of the shoulders 56 on the outer tube. Means for preventing rearwardmovement of the tampon within the outer tube during retraction of theplunger may be incorporated, in a manner similar to that described inthe above embodiment, by including one or more raised surfaces or stops70 on the inside surface of the outer tube adjacent to the end throughwhich the plunger is inserted. In the form illustrated, such abuttingsurfaces are provided by forming the outer tube with integrally formed,diametrically opposed, raised ribs extending longitudinally of the outertube. The ends 72 of the ribs, against which the inner end 60 of thetampon abuts in the event the tampon tends to move during the retractionof the plunger, are located at a point on the inside of the outer tubejust behind the inner end of the tampon when it is in its normalassembled position within the end portion of the outer tube.

The finger-gripping portion of the plunger may be provided with anopening 74 through which the ends 76 of the withdrawal cord 78 attachedto the tampon may extend. If desired, the end of the outer tube,customarily held between the fingers during operation of the applicator,may be formed with a series of ribs 80 extending peripherally around theouter surface of the outer 6 tube for secure retention of the outertube. Similarly, the finger-gripping portion of the plunger may beformed with raised or roughened surface 82 to provide a better holdingsurface.

The preceding embodiment is preferably made of a plastic material, suchas polyethylene, which lends itself readily to the manufacture of theapplicator by conventional molding operations. Due to its inherentslippery surface characteristics, the outer tube portion of theapplicator is desirably made from polyethylene, a polyethylene-coatedcardboard, or a similar plastic material.

It is apparent that numerous variations, modifications and changes maybe made in the foregoing illustrative embodiments of the inventionwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and it is thereforecontemplated that such variations, modifications and changes areincluded within its scope.

What is claimed is:

1. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havingan arm, a portion of which is positioned between said tampon and saidouter tube when said tampon is positioned in said outer tube, said armportion being movable from between said tampon and said outer tube andthen towards the axis of said outer tube, the end of said arm being,adapted to engage the end of said tampon as said plunger is movedlongitudinally into said outer tube to eject said tampon.

2.. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havingan arm, a portion of which is positioned between said tampon and saidouter tube when said tampon is positioned in said outer tube, said armportion being movable from between said tampon and said outer tube andthen towards the axis of said outer tube, means on said plungerco-operating with means on said outer tube to limit rearward movement ofsaid plunger, the end of said arm being adapted to engage the end ofsaid tampon as said plunger is moved longitudinally into said outer tubeto eject said tampon.

3. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havinga plurality of arms, portions of which are positioned between saidtampon and said outer tube when said tampon is positioned in said outertube, said arm portions being movable from between said tampon and saidouter tube and then towards the axis of said outer tube, the ends ofsaid arms being adapted to engage the end of said tampon as said plungeris moved longitudinally into said outer tube to eject said tampon.

4. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havingan arm, a portion of which is positioned between said tampon and saidouter tube when said tampon is positioned in said outer tube, said armportion being movable from between said tampon and said outer tube,means for moving the end of said arm towards the axis of said outertube, the end of said arm being adapted to engage the end of said tamponas said plunger is moved longitudinally into said outer tube to ejectsaid tampon.

5. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havinga plurality of arms, portions of which are positioned between saidtampon and said outer tube when said tampon is positioned in said outertube, said arm portions being '7 movable from between said tampon andsaid outer tube, means for moving the ends of said arms towards eachother and towards. the axis of said outer tube, the ends of said armsbeing adapted to engage the end of said tampon as said plunger is movedlongitudinally into said outer tube to eject said tampon.

6. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havinga plurality of arms, portions of which are positioned between saidtampon and said outer tube when said tampon is positioned in said outertube, said arm portions being movable from between said tampon and saidouter tube, means on said arms co-operating with means on said outertube for moving the ends of said arms towards each other, and towardsthe axis of said outer tube as said plunger is withdrawn from withinsaid outer tube, the ends of said arms being adapted to engage the endof said tampon as said plunger is moved longitudinally into said outertube to eject said tampon.

7. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havingtwo opposed, flexible arms, portions of which are positioned betweensaid tampon and said outer tube when said tampon is positioned in saidouter tube, said arm portions being movable from between said tampon andsaid outer tube as said plunger is withdrawn from within said outertube, at least one of said arms having a longitudinally extending groovetapering in depth upwardly towards the end of said arm, a raised surfaceon said outer tube riding within said groove and co-operating therewithto move the end of said arm towards the axis of said outer tube as saidplunger is withdrawn from said outer tube, the end of said movable armbeing adapted to engage the end of said tampon as said plunger is movedlongitudinally into said outer tube to eject said tampon.

8. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havingtwo opposed flexible arms, portions of which are positioned between saidtampon and said outer tube when said tampon is positioned in said outertube, said arm portions being movable from between said tampon and saidouter tube as said plunger is moved from within said outer tube, saidarms having longitudinally extending grooves tapering in depth upwardlytowards their ends, raised surfaces on said outer tube riding withinsaid grooves and co-operating therewith to move the ends of said armstowards each other and towards the axis of said outer tube as saidplunger is withdrawn from said outer tube, the end of said arms beingadapted to engage the end of said tampon as said plunger is movedlongitudinally into said outer tube to eject said tampon.

9. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, a tamponejecting plunger positioned withinsaid outer tube and longitudinally movable therein, said plunger havingtwo opposed, longitudinally extending, flexible arms, portions of whichare positioned between said tampon and said outer tube when said tamponis positioned in said outer tube, said arm portions being movable frombetween said tampon and said outer tube as said plunger is moved fromwithin said outer tube, said arms having longitudinally extendinggrooves tapering in depth upwardly towards the ends of said arms, raisedsurfaoes on the inside of said outer tube opposite the end adapted tocontain the tampon, said raised surfaces riding within said grooves andco-opera-ting therewith to move the ends of said arms towards each otherand towards the axis of said outer tube as said plunger is moved fromwithin said outer tube, the ends of said grooves and the forward ends ofsaid raised surfaces forming abutting surfaces to limit rearwardmovement of said plunger, the end of said arm being adapted to engagethe end of said tampon as said plunger is moved longitudinally into saidouter tube to eject said tampon.

10. A tampon applicator comprising an outer tube adapted to contain atampon in an end thereof, the opposite end of said outer tube having atransverse slit, a tampon-ejecting plunger extending through said slitand being positioned within said outer tube and longitudinally movabletherein, said plunger having an arm a portion of which is positionedbetween said tampon and said outer tube when said tampon is positionedin said outer tube, said arm portion being movable from between saidtampon and said outer tube said plunger being tiltable in said slit tomove said arm portion towards the axis of said outer tube, the end ofsaid arm being adapted to engage the end of said tampon as said plungeris moved longitudinally into said outer tube to eject said tampon.

11. A tampon applicator in accordance with claim 10 having an enlargedportion on said arm portion larger than said slit and which engages saidslit after the end of said arm clears the inner end of said tamponduring withdrawal of said plunger from within said outer tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,222,088 Petersen Nov. 19, 1940 2,489,502 Ruth Nov. 29, 1949 2,829,646Kurkjian Apr. 8, 1958 2,832,342 Wingenroth Apr. 29, 1958 2,854,978Millman et a1. Oct. 7, 1958

1. A TAMPON APPLICATOR COMPRISING AN OUTER TUBE ADAPTED TO CONTAIN ATAMPON IN AN END THEREOF, A TAMPONEJECTING PLUNGER POSITIONED WITHINSAID OUTER TUBE AND LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE THEREIN, SAID PLUNGER HAVINGAN ARM, A PORTION OF WHICH IS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID TAMPON AND SAIDOUTER TUBE WHEN SAID TAMPON IS POSITIONED IN SAID OUTER TUBE, SAID ARMPORTION BEING MOVABLE FROM BETWEEN SAID TAMPON AND SAID OUTER TUBE ANDTHEN TOWARDS THE AXIS OF SAID OUTER TUBE, THE END OF SAID ARM BEINGADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE END OF SAID TAMPON AS SAID PLUNGER IS MOVEDLONGITUDINALLY INTO SAID OUTER TUBE TO EJECT SAID TAMPON.